Happy Hour: Sierra Nevada has killer trick up its sleeve

Sierra Nevada is a brewery most people associate with huge hop flavor. Their Pale Ale, Torpedo, Hoptimum and 4-Way IPA sampler pack are among their most popular offerings, and geared toward the hungry hop-head.

But Sierra Nevada is a brewery with a few tricks up its sleeve, and not all of them involve humulus lupulus. Kellerweis, the sublime American-made, German-inspired hefeweizen, is the unsung hero of the Sierra Nevada full-time lineup.

Sure, it’s old news. But this is my column, it’s summer, and Kellerweis is what I’m drinking.

Brewed in the traditional Bavarian method using open fermentation (think open-range yeast, rather than caged in a stuffy closed fermenter), Kellerweis is an infinitely drinkable and interestingly complex beer. To use trendy beer slang: Kellerweis is a killer session beer.

Pouring a hazy pale gold with a huge fluffy white head of foam, Kellerweis necessitates the “wheat beer pour.” Pour two thirds in your glass, swirl the rest and continue pouring, ensuring all the bottle yeast makes it in your glass. The smells of banana, sweet wheat, clove, citrus and kitchen spice all translate directly into the flavor, wrapped up in a light body.

I recommend this beer with all things summer: post-lawnmowing on Saturday, salmon sliders on the grill, and brats by the campfire. Cheers!

Jeff “Aggro Crag” Matson is the beer buyer for Wilbur’s Total Beverage.